Newell Atwood of New Hartford, Conn. collects Ford Model Ts. He owns four, which he enjoys riding in with his wife, Barbara. The Model T was built between 1908 and 1927 and more than 15 million were produced.

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BY BUD WILKINSON | REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN

It’s part of automotive lore that Henry Ford offered his Model T in any color that the customer wanted, so long as that color was black. But only one of four Model Ts restored/assembled and owned by Newell Atwood of New Hartford is black. It’s a 1921 touring car. The others are a 1914 touring car in bright red, a 1925 pickup in orange and a 1926 “huckster” truck in light green.

“Those were just my own ideas. The orange one I call that my Harley-Davidson truck ’cause I wanted it orange and black,” said Atwood, referring to the motorcycle manufacturer’s corporate colors. He then explained that Ford’s black dictum wasn’t issued until long after the model was in production. Ford began building the Model T in 1908 and offered it in colors other than black through 1913.

Black became the only color in 1914 and remained so through 1926 due to a lower cost, durability and faster drying time. Ford produced the Model T into 1927 with more than 15 million built. Atwood’s 1914 is red, though. “When I got ready to paint it, I said, ‘I’d like a red car,” so that’s why it’s red,” he said.
Atwood got his first Model T in 1988, buying the 1921 model from his boss at Torrington Ford, Louis Battistoni. It was a project that took him years. “That car took me from ’88 to ’96 before I drove it,” he said. “It needed restoring. The top was missing. The upholstery was bad. I got it home. I got it running, but I had to go completely through it; rebuild it – motor, rear end, transmission, new upholstery, bodywork, new radiator. It needed everything.”

In 2000, he picked up the 1914 model having seen it for sale in “Hemmings.” “I got it home, I got it running, but that needed everything, too,” he said, reporting that the other Model Ts were put together from spare parts. “Those were parts and pieces I had and I made cars out of ’em. I had frames and motors and transmissions, and front axles and rear axles, and some cowl parts. The orange one I bought that as a parts car. I brought it home and I said, ‘I think I can make a truck out this.’”

Why so many Model Ts and what’s their allure? “I don’t know, “ said Atwood. “I just can’t see throwing a Model T away.”

Newell Atwood’s quartet of Model Ts are well-driven. Joined by his wife, Barbara, Atwood is a familiar figure at car shows but they also take them places. The 1914 red one has been trailered to Colorado and driven to 12,000 feet in the Rocky Mountains, while the 1921 black one has been to Mount Rushmore in South Dakota. He said it’s not uncommon for them to drive a Model T anywhere from 70 to 100 miles on a Sunday.

The Model Ts are surprisingly reliable. “I’ve had good luck. If they break down, it’s usually maybe a little carburetor problem or maybe one coil isn’t sparking or something. Maybe once in a while a cotter pin will come out of a brake rod or something. They sometimes break a crankshaft,” he said, reporting that the red one did just that in 2012. “That’s major. You have to rebuild the whole motor.

The Model Ts are powered by a 20-horsepower, four-cylinder engine. The gas tank on the 1914, 1921 and 1925 is located under the front seat. Operating them is quite different from a modern car. On the floor in front of the driver are three pedals. The left provides two forward speeds (low and high), plus neutral. The center pedal is reverse. The right pedal is for the brake. There’s no accelerator pedal.

“I say you’re driving it. A modern-day car you put it in ‘drive’ and you go. This here, your hands and feet are going all the time, cause you’re pushing the pedals,” Atwood said. “You’ve got a spark and retard advance. You retard the spark to start it, then you advance it when you’re going. The throttle is on the steering column. A modern car you just get in and drive. These here you’re working all the time. But you get used to it, you get used to it.”

Atwood has altered his Model Ts to make them modern in one respect. He had eliminated the need to turn a crank in front. “I’ve added an electric starter; makes it more convenient,” he said.

He does have one concern regarding the Model T in the years to come. Current owners are aging and “hardly anyone under 50 is even interested in them,” he said.